The way that we can describe a negative emotional pattern is by talking about how that pattern is affecting our actions and decisions. Are we experiencing repeated emotions that are felt, accepted and then let go of or are we reacting to them unconsciously? Does this reaction then become a memory and place to revisit when we feel that the same experience is resurfacing?
We typically feel safer repeating actions that we made in past experiences over making new actions even if those actions were hurtful or not appropriate. The reason for this is that we fear change. We become familiar with what we have already done and on some level believe that it wasn’t so bad or we wouldn’t have done it in the first place. We do and tell ourselves anything at times just to avoid doing something new.
This may seem silly, yet on a subconscious level it makes a lot of sense. If we choose a new course of action then it would imply that we were wrong before. This can be difficult to accept for many. Pride comes into play, also being a bad person, not being lovable and lots more are things that we would have to address and possibly accept. It is much easier to just repeat what we did before instead of looking deep into ourselves and our beliefs.
We may even want to justify or explain why it was ok for us to act in that way that we did. Many of us are blind to why we act in the way that we do and how those actions can cause patterns of behavior that we consciously don’t want but do anyway.
We can look at our histories and identify negative traits through actions we’ve taken in the past. Whether it be small quirks that have made previous relationships rather turbulent, or patterns in our own daily habits that we recognize as inherently bad, yet choose to look the other way until it’s too late.
Now, what causes us to react initially? Why do we react to some emotions and not to others? It all comes down to our current beliefs. Especially our deep rooted ones. When we refuse to change beliefs that our subconscious knows are false, our conscious mind doesn’t process anything that would cause it to change what it believes to be true. This means that we cannot process the truth during these times.
Our will is too strong. We rather believe a lie rather than change. This brings us back to fear of change that we spoke of earlier. This is also where trauma is born. Trauma can be as simple as conflicting beliefs not being able to coexist together, to much more extreme cases such as PTSD, abuse, etc.
The fear of change can be so great that we literally are blind to what is right in front of us. When this happens, our subconscious brings up specific emotions to get our attention to the lie that we are believing. These emotions do not get processed in the moment and end up getting stored in a subconscious program called an Emotional Footprint for future use. These unprocessed emotions are referred to as Rogue Emotions.
The Emotional Footprint program is designed to bring up old emotions (Rogue emotions) to trigger our thoughts to address the belief that we wouldn’t change before. They have us relive past emotional turmoil in the present moment in order to help us change our perspectives and to let go of old beliefs that are hurting us. The reason why we react to specific events is because a Rogue emotion has a stronger charge to it than any other emotion we experience.
The charge is too strong for us to ignore so we act unconsciously. We still cannot change our beliefs and because that is the case, our only other option is to attempt to change the truth that is unfolding in front of us to an experience that matches our beliefs. This way change can possibly be avoided.
Just about every time we are behind the wheel, or speaking to a group of people, or listening to someone else talk, we have a goal in mind. To travel to a destination. To tell a meaningful story or maybe to just listen and share knowledge or experience. When the stream of consciousness that allows us to focus on these goals is interrupted we tend to jump straight into a destructive internal process that in many cases causes us to immediately react internally or externally.
Being in that stream of consciousness, the bubble we live in while focused on a goal, allows us to follow the changes of life and or thoughts. We have the goal in mind, even if it’s a vague goal and are witnessing life changing to make that goal materialize. This gives us the belief that we are safe in this environment. Being pulled out causes a fight-or-flight reaction, and once we recognize that we are not in any real danger we avert our emotions to those of anger, frustration, annoyance.
We want to jump straight back into being focused, to move towards our goals, the reaction is so immediate. We don’t ever pause and think about the circumstances of the events, the interruption, only that we’ve been interrupted and now we’re angry. On some level we’ve lost control of the possible outcome we were expecting. Therefore, we react. Internally, externally, it doesn't matter, this reaction stems from a Rogue Emotion. We’ve experienced an event and we’ve reacted in a way that drives negative energy to the forefront of our consciousness and are now incapable of returning to our state of focus, or level of peace.
What I’ve just demonstrated here is a simple pattern. While it may seem simple enough in this moment; recognizing, identifying, labelling and working on changing patterns can be one of the most difficult things to do in the present moment when a Rogue emotion has surfaced. It’s not until afterwards when the emotions settle that you are able to objectively acknowledge your actions and decide to do something about it.
The Emotional Footprint Program was designed to help you recognize these patterns, to work on them internally and to identify the false beliefs that are causing confusion, pain and suffering. Emotional Footprints are the reason why unwanted patterns exist. The program is bringing your attention to the false beliefs that you hold in order to change them to improve the quality of your life.
As we discussed earlier, patterns stem from the conditioning that derives from the exposure to Rogue emotions. So, to change a pattern it only makes sense that we address it at its core. The Emotional Footprint program. By satisfying or releasing this program from the subconscious mind, we are able to free ourselves from the effects that these Rogue emotions have on us. Allowing us to enjoy life deeper and to be more present to our experiences.
The Biko Method was created for this very purpose. It is designed to remove the Emotional Footprint program in an easy, self explorative, effortless way. It's a fast track tool to personal growth and development, higher awareness and assists with alleviating emotional pain and suffering for good.
Below is an illustration to help clarify the process that goes on when an Emotional Footprint is left unaddressed.
As you can see, while multiple events can all lead to one Rogue emotion and inherent reactions, it’s usually tied to a single false belief. The story we’ve told ourselves about the event. In the future after the original Rogue emotion has been removed, similar events could bring up new Rogue emotions that feel the same. It is important to understand that they are not the same ones, however.
In these cases, if you pay attention you will notice that the story or false belief is actually different. The emotion felt may be similar but this time the false belief or story is different. Once an Emotional Footprint is gone, it takes all of the related Rogue emotions with it.
This means that new events can only trigger other Emotional Footprints that have not been addressed yet. So, you can expect to feel Rogue emotions that may feel the same but are related to a different back story; as a Rogue emotion after all is just an unprocessed emotion from our past. There are many experiences that will elicit the same emotion. It’s the story or false belief that is different. That is where our attention needs to be and not so much on the emotion felt. The emotion felt is just a signpost to grab our attention.
Rogue emotions is how the subconscious communicates with us. This relationship with the subconscious allows us to grow and develop a stronger sense of self. It's a relationship worth nurturing. Knowing this makes things a little more manageable when we get triggered or at least afterwards, which allows us to change our future experiences.
In the present moment this understanding may not be enough to stop a reaction depending on the magnitude of the Rogue emotion. However, it will give you awareness and context which will help to diffuse the situation quicker. It may even stop it from repeating. The point is to address the emotion felt afterwards and release the underlying Emotional Footprint. Only then will you get permanent relief.
